ERJ: Players of the Week

1. Rodolfo ‘remote start’ for new India tire plant
This week’s top player is Italian rubber machinery manufacturer Rodolfo Comerio, which is set to remotely start up a calender-line at a new off-highway-tire plant in India. The start-up will mark the first project for a newly “activated” remote control room at Rodolfo’s HQ site in Solbiate Olona, in Italy’s Lombardy region. Read more

2. Apollo advances “premier player’ plan 
Unfazed by the severe impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the continuing uncertainties around, Apollo chairman Onkar S Kanwar says his company will continue to work towards its vision of becoming “a premier tire company with a diversified and multinational presence.’” Read more

3. Bridgestone to close South Africa tire plant
Bridgestone Southern Africa (BSAF) is to close its 252-employee, bias-tire manufacturing plant in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, as part of a bigger corporate strategy to streamline businesses and intensify focus on “premium, profitable growth segments.” Read more

4. Goodyear shares recover after Trump boycott call
Goodyear Tire & Rubber found itself in deep political water when an attempt to steer clear of politics backfired. President Donald Trump called for a boycott of the company as Goodyear said wearing of political slogans by employees was not acceptable. Read more

5. Semperit hanging up its gloves 
Semperit AG will go ahead with plans to sell its rubber gloves production business, Sempermed, as the Austrian group considers the positive effects of the global Covid-19 pandemic on the business to be of “limited sustainability.” Read more

6 Sumitomo Rubber doubling rubber gloves capacity in Malaysia
On the contrary, Japan’s SRI is aiming to double its rubber gloves output in Malaysia as demand for the products grows amid the Covid-19 global pandemic. Read more

7 Synthomer adding NBR latex capacity 
And responding to growing demand for nitrile rubber gloves, UK-based Synthomer plc is also considering adding further nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) latex capacity at its existing facilities in Europe. Read more

8 Zeon raising NBR prices
On a similar note, Nippon Zeon of Zeon Corp. has also increased its selling prices for nitrile rubber (NBR), to achieve stable supply of products and maintain and improve quality for customers. Read more

9 Linglong claims top profitability among Chinese tire makers
Linglong recorded €109 million net profit during the first half of 2020, up 23.6% from a year ago, making it "the most profitable Chinese tire maker" over the period. Read more

10 “Customised performance" with Bridgestone OTR tires
Bridgestone Corp. has developed a line of OTR tires under the "MasterCore" umbrella, which are claimed to customisable to various mine sites and operations by the use of varying tread designs on a common casing platform. Read more

11 Lanxess launches bio-based prepolymers for sustainable PU 
In line with its strategy to be “climate neutral” company by 2040, Lanxess AG has developed a new range of sustainable methylene diphenyl diisocyanate MDI polyether prepolymers for the manufacture of durable polyurethane (PU) elastomers. Read more